“Sat with kids and sold seashell necklaces”. How Robbie Nash became a windsurfing legend

Nothing in this life comes easy. If we manage to watch someone successful through Instagram or watch a movie biography, we see only the tip of the iceberg – the result of efforts.

But we don’t think about the cost to the person to fulfill their dreams. The Dalai Lama once said: “Before you give someone a grade, take that person’s shoes and walk their path.”

legendary windsurfer

Talks about the role chance can play in a person’s life and what a true athlete should be like.

How did it all start?

Robbie Nash grew up on a small island in Hawaii. His father was into small boat racing, so Robbie’s love of the ocean was in his blood. In classic stories about successful people, chance usually plays a big role. And Robbie was no exception.

One day some windsurfers stopped by their island. They were having a big race there and noticed that two teenagers were watching them closely. The guys offered Robbie and his brother to participate in the race on a par with the professionals. Then Nash stood on a board with a sail for the first time and realized that he fell in love with this sport irrevocably.

Robbie says that he was so small that it was hard for him to even just pull the sail out of the water, but the interest and desire to learn how to control the wind reduced the physical discomfort to “no”. After this meeting with windsurfers he was determined to learn how to conquer waves.

I was always going to the beach after school, approaching everyone with the phrase, “Can I try riding your board?”

Robbie tried to do everything he could to practice the sport as much as possible. And it makes sense that he wanted to buy his own board. But for a 12-year-old boy it was an impossible task, because he didn’t have that much money. But if you want it badly enough, there is a way out.

I started saving up: I sat with the kids, painted T-shirts, sold shell necklaces. And I bought my first board when I was 12, and already at 13 I won my first championship.

Just imagine how strong was the enthusiasm of young Nash. He was not at all frightened by financial difficulties and the treachery of water. After all, an inexperienced athlete could easily drown, and a professional is not immune to this.

Looking back, Robbie admits that he has never suffered any serious injuries during his career. He gradually increased the size of waves: first he tried to conquer a meter wave, then two, then ten. And each time the wave became smaller and smaller in his eyes. He says that it is always safe to fall on the water, because it gently picks up the athlete. And the worst injury can only be a bruise.

The guy is a champion and so unknown in the US?

Now Robbie is 58 years old, and he decided that it’s time to finally tell about himself and star in a movie. This decision was not easy for him. He was approached many times with questions about filming, but he always said “no”. When asked “why?” Robbie with a smile answers that he just did not want to look back and dwell on past victories. He was focusing on what could be done in the future.

I’m proud of what I’ve done, but I didn’t want to sit back and dwell on it.

When the windsurfer had already made the decision to film, he faced another challenge – how to film and what to film about. A real guru of filmmaking, Joe Berlinger, came to the rescue. He and the director had never met before, and Berlinger had never made a movie about sports before. He was very impressed by Robbie’s story: a guy who is a champion and is so unknown in the U.S., how could it be?

When the athlete and the director got to know each other better, Joe realized that Robbie was very humble.

Filmmaker

Your impression of an athlete is formed the moment you see him on TV opening the champagne and holding his trophies. You might think he’s arrogant. But it’s not like that at all. What struck me is that Robbie is a very humble, quiet and deep thinking person.

During the filming, Robbie went through some difficult times. But despite all the adversity and the fact that he was doing something completely unfamiliar to him, he persevered.

Joe: Robbie’s energy inspired me to make the movie. Even though he and I are the same age, I, for example, can’t get up in the morning for a walk. But I watched Nash and saw how humble he is to keep doing what he’s doing.

Berlinger even wishes he had tried windsurfing sooner, even though he had a million opportunities.

They worked on the movie “The Longest Wave” for over four years. The picture turned out very different from what Nash had envisioned. But in a good way. Robbie even managed to change the field of activity a little: to work as a story editor and try to pick up music.

A true athlete is an egomaniac and a loner

Nash calls himself a “non-team player” and says he finds it easier to work alone. And part of making the movie was his personal challenge to himself. After all, he had to work a lot with people and do things on camera.

The main quality of a real professional windsurfer Nash considers motivation and self-control. After all, a true athlete is a loner and to some extent an egoist.

I think that loneliness is liked by people who really want to achieve something.

That’s probably the case. After all, if you want to achieve something, you don’t have to turn your back on anyone and expect someone to motivate you. This applies to all areas of life, not just sports. And the most difficult thing in any business is the first step.

Robbie is sure that you don’t need any special skill set to start windsurfing. It’s enough to just want to get through the beginning. A lot of people can’t get past the first 10 minutes, so you just need to push yourself a little bit.